WNBA All-Star Game 2026: Schedule, date, rosters, how to watch as Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers go head-to-head

After three years away, the WNBA All-Star Game is back in Chicago. The Windy City will play host to All-Star Weekend for the second time, and it’s expected to be a premier event as the league celebrates its 30th anniversary season.

Stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, among many others, are set to take the court to show off their skills. Before that can happen, however, a few other key events will kick off the weekend.

With WNBA All-Star Weekend just around the corner, here’s everything you need to know about the festivities.

WNBA All-Star Game 2026 date

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will take place Saturday, July 25. That’s the latest date on which the event has been held since 2019, when the game was played in Las Vegas on July 27.

WNBA All-Star Game 2026 location

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will take place at the United Center in Chicago. It marks the second time Chicago has hosted All-Star Weekend, but the first time the All-Star Game will take place at the United Center. When the All-Star Game was held in the city in 2022, the game was held at Wintrust Arena, where the Chicago Sky play their home games and where Friday’s Skills Night will take place.

The United Center — where the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks play — is over twice as large as Wintrust Arena, with a capacity of over 23,000 fans.

The league will also hold media availability and practices at the new Obama Presidential Center, which opened in June.

WNBA All-Star Game schedule

While the actual game will occur on July 25, WNBA All-Star Weekend will feature a number of events. Here’s a schedule of the entire weekend:

Thursday, July 23: WNBA Live, a fan festival, will take place at McCormick Place in Chicago from 4 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET.

Friday, July 24: WNBA Live will continue from 9 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Skills Night will begin at Wintrust Arena. Skills Night will feature both the WNBA Shooting Stars event and the 3-point contest. Participants have not been announced for either event yet.

Saturday, July 25: WNBA Live will once again take place from 9 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. ET, the WNBA All-Star Game will begin at the United Center.

WNBA All-Star Game 2026 rosters

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game functioned a bit differently this time around. Two honorary captains were selected to draft each team. Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon were tabbed general managers for the event.

Since they were the top two vote getters, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers were assigned to different teams based on a coin flip. Cooper and Weatherspoon then drafted the rest of their rosters.

Here’s how those rosters shook out after the draft:

Team Cynthia Cooper

Starters:

• Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings

• Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty

• Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever

• Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx

• Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries

Reserves:

• Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream

• Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo

• Dominique Malonga, Seattle Storm

• Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks

• Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces

• Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics

Team Teresa Weatherspoon

Starters:

• Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

• A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

• Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx

• Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever

• Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings

Reserves:

• Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream

• Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream

• Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty

• Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx

• Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics

• Nneka Ogumike, Los Angeles Sparks

WNBA All-Star Game 2026 prize money

The league has yet to announce prize money for 2026. Last year, however, players received $2,575 for participating in the game, per Front Office Sports. Additionally, the MVP of the contest received $5,150 for their performance. Winners of the skills competitions also received $2,575 for winning those events.

How to watch the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will air on ABC and Disney+. WNBA Countdown will air on ESPN and ABC a half hour before game time. Both networks will also carry a post-game show.

Read More